Waiting To Be Found
by floatsodelicately
Summary: Professor Flitwick always has the best gossip in the Hogwarts staff room, with the Yule Ball coming up, there is a lot to talk about between classes...


_"Lots of people like to tell me where to go,_

_What to do and what to say […]_

_I'm waiting to be found by someone new."_

_Waiting To Be Found – Alex Goot_

* * *

"Mr Krum has been eyeing Miss Granger," Irma Pince said from her seat by the window.

The Hogwarts staff was a gossipy bunch, without much to do while confined to the castle for most of the year, the school's rumour mill often fuelled the chats in the staff room. The Yule Ball had provided a lot of this. The corridors were full of the loved up couples that had organised their dates, and also the loud arguments when _he_ didn't get the hint and _ask_, or _she_ didn't get the hint that he _wouldn't be asking_. The fourth years and above had turned into giggling girls and nervous boys in the run up to the ball.

The topic of conversation this afternoon drifted onto the champions' dates for the ball. The professors all had differing theories about who would ask who, and being the intelligent Ravenclaw that he was, Filius had all the answers.

"He's too old for her," Minerva tutted as she dunked her biscuit in her tea. "He's 18, she's far too young to be going with him."

"It's a ball, Minerva," Irma replied. "It's good that she's dedicated to her studies, Merlin knows she spends almost as much time in the library as I do, it would be good for her to relax for once. If he asks her then good for them, I say," the normally strict and snooty librarian finished.

"Filius, what do you think?" Albus asked with a twinkle in his eye as he sucked on a lemon drop.

Filius gave a small smirk to the headmaster before asking, "What do I think about what, Albus?"

"The champions' choices for the ball of course, you do always seem to be _in the know_ about these things…"

With a small smirk in the old professor's direction, Filius turned to the group of gossiping witches. "Miss Delacour accepted Mr Davies' invitation, that's couple number one. Mr Diggory has asked Miss Chang to the ball, so that's couple number two. According to Miss Chang's friends, Mr Potter also asked her but she had already said yes to Cedric-"

"Miss Chang is very popular, isn't she?" Pomona smiled.

Filius continued, "I believe that Mr Potter will be attending with either Miss Patil or…Miss Patil. He and Mr Weasley managed to arrange their dates, although I think that Miss Weasley may have also helped with that-"

"But Miss Granger," Poppy chimed in, "I thought that she and Mr Weasley would-"

"Mr Weasley," Severus drawled from a desk by the wall, "only just discovered that Miss Granger was female last week in Study Hall. That oaf couldn't-"

"Severus!" Minerva scolded, "Don't call the boy that."

"So I suppose if someone asked you to a ball by first assuming that no one had asked you and then telling you that it would be pathetic for you to go alone, so you might as well go with him, save the embarrassment, you would accept?" Severus arched an eyebrow as he paused in his marking to look over at the chattering group.

Minerva chuckled quietly, "No, I don't suppose I would, but you can't be cruel to the poor lad."

"When you deal with him melting your cauldrons and burning through your desks, you might find that oaf is a mild way of addressing him," Severus turned back to his pile of parchments and tuned out the other professors, not wanting to be a part of the gaggling gossip session much longer.

The others turned back to Filius, "Mr Krum did ask Miss Granger to the ball-"

He was interrupted by Irma's squeal and triumphant look at Minerva, "See!"

"-but she turned him down," Filius continued.

The other professors looked at him in shock as he picked up his tea and took a sip, satisfied that once again, he had the juiciest gossip.

"But he's the champion? And a Quidditch star, he has a bloody fan club following him around the library while he watches Miss Granger-"

"That's apparently part of the reason," Filius nodded. "Staring at a girl who is a few years younger than you while she tries to study is not something that girls like Miss Granger find romantic. According to Miss Abbot and Miss Bones, she finds it downright creepy and had to dive under their desk when he was looking for her a couple of weeks ago," he chuckled.

"But didn't she tell Mr Weasley that she had accepted someone's invitation?" Poppy asked.

"She wouldn't lie to save face, would she?" Rolanda asked from her seat beside Pomona.

"No, no," Filius smiled. "It's safe to say that Miss Granger will be attending the ball," he laughed lightly as he waved his wand, sending the parchments he had been marking earlier into his satchel ready for him to leave.

"Filius!" Minerva scolded mockingly, "You cannot leave it like that, what do you know?"

The half-goblin gave a wry smile as he got out of his seat and picked up his satchel, "Just because Mr Weasley has only just realised that his best friend is a female, doesn't mean that the other young men didn't already know…Miss Granger has been working with Mr Thomas on her Charms project for a few weeks now."

Pomona placed her cup on the table, "Now, Filius, that doesn't mean that they'll be going to the ball together. What if she did actually make it up, it wouldn't be the first time that Mr Weasley has upset her."

Filius made his way to the door as the clock chimed, signalling for the students and professors to start going to class. "Unless Mr Thomas was looking for the answers inside Miss Granger's mouth, I do believe that I am right," he said smugly before slipping through the door.

Madame Pomphrey looked at the door long after it shut, confused, "What? But what does that mea-"

"He caught them snogging, Poppy," Severus rolled his eyes as he swept towards the door, his robes billowing as always.

* * *

Prompt from hpfanfictionprompts. tumblr .com – No. 253. Somehow, Professor Flitwick always has the best gossip to share in the professors' break room.

The sequel to this story 'Still Into You' has now been posted :)

A.N. I'm going to start a DeanxHermione story soon, I just had this idea for a one-shot and I wanted to post it so...yeah, I hope you like it, there isn't enough DeanxHermione on here :)


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